Self Esteem vs. Instagram

“This culture of hair crushes, girl crushes, hair twins, etc… may be causing more damage than good. I often think about the women, the ever increasing amount of women, who create entire accounts strictly dedicated to highlighting others’ good hair days – but behind the good intention does that woman love her own beauty?” – Shannon T Boodram

Shannon T Boodram, author, TV host, and photographer, posted an insightful article that I think really spoke to the dynamics of beauty in an insta-world. The line between surrounding yourself with inspiration for what you want to look like and obsessively viewing photos to fuel your self-doubt can be very blurry. Shannon explains how important it is to be aware of this distinction and how easy it is to get glued to your Instagram feed. She also filmed a clip “How To Look Like Me TAG,” which I think is brilliant and funny. She recorded a reverse beauty tutorial to show what she looks like without any beauty products. Funnily enough, most of the comments for the article claimed that since she looks beautiful before and after, it does not count as a viable example of natural beauty. I beg to differ. Her video shows the following:

-Confidence to show the public what she looks like without beauty products and admit she uses acne medication

-Beauty is unique and shines with individuality. Make-up and extensions are only used to accentuate what you already have

I think the fact that there is no drastic difference between the two images clearly illustrates her point about accepting your natural beauty. Do you agree? Referring back to her article, do you think the way we use Instagram is at fault? or is it something deeper? Let me know in the comments!